{Tech Nerds--------------------------------------------------------------------Everyone Else}

There's this gap. It's kind of a big gap, troubling in fact. Because, I mean really, we're the future. And this gap, it's kind of based in technology. There's people like me (this will sound kinda pretentious) that are fairly computer literate and can interact with the Internet. We enjoy technology, enjoy learning about new things and the latest gadgets, enjoy trolling the Internet in search of the latest and greatest new website. Then, there are others. There are kids that, even though they have the ability to, can barely check their e-mail. They get confused doing the most common tasks on the Internet. How is this possible? Whose fault is this? Should the public education system get the blame? Or teachers? Or parents? Or, maybe, even the kids' fault?



Let's start with public education. Isn't the responsibility of education to better and prepare students for their later lives and to help them perform well in the "real" world? And, if this is so, why do we still have teachers who are unwilling to make this change, from a staid curriculum that hasn't changed in decades, to a more technologically advanced one? I know it is hard to change, but making students re-write, verbatim, the Constitution (and, trust me, one of the teachers at my school does this) is not doing anyone any good. Least of all, the students. Teachers certainly don't teach to make money. They teach (at least I think they do...) because they enjoy teaching and bettering the lives of their students. If they are not giving their students the tools needed to survive in an ever-changing technological infrastructure, they are not doing a good job. They are failing their students in the one area where students need the most help; planning for the future.



The students themselves, actually, may be the most to blame. After all, how can there be people who have grown up and lived in the same circumstances as myself, but not know how to do half the computer stuff I do? There's a disconnect there, and where is it coming from? Our education is similar and I would assume our home life is similar. Is it the motivation? Do I just care more about technology than others my age? Of course there are those that simply can't afford this kind of technology. This is perfectly acceptable; it is no fault of the students that they cannot afford a computer. As a matter of fact, the public education system should provide computers in schools for this purpose (but that's a different story.) However, I'm talking about those that have the ability to learn, to better themselves. Technology is the future, and people need to realize that. New skills need to be mastered. It's not a question of wanting. These Web 2.0 (and beyond) skills are a necessity.

So, I really don't feel bad about those students that cannot master these simple Internet tools. The knowledge is there, either through a teacher or a plethora of online sources. If you are not ready to adapt and learn for the future, don't expect everyone else to stop their lives to coddle you. You are responsible for you. Don't expect others to hold your hand. I need people to take control of their lives and their futures, cuz it's really starting to bother me.

Why the iPhone's Competition Fails (Before it Even Begins)

Everyone knows the iPhone is the most amazing phone ever made. OK, I may be a bit biased, but it honestly completely revolutionized what people do with their phones and how they do them. At the risk of sounding like a commercial, you can google a restaurant (either through an app or the actual google website), read the website on the restaurant, and call the restaurant and make reservations through the internet. This is massive step forward from normal phones. It is like Web 2.0 in a way, where one can access any information they need to access instantaneously and use the information they've gathered to make other decisions. This is why people love the iPhone. Because it is more than a phone, it's basically a computer in the palm of your hand.

However, there is another reason people lurv the iPhone. The brand. Apple is the cool thing to love. Having anything apple automatically makes one hip, trendy, and nonconformist. (Because, back in the 90's, Microsoft was the big bad wolf that was suffocating the younger up-start companies, like Apple. Now, Apple is almost as big as Microsoft. Those who are trying to nonconform by using Apple are actually still conforming by using Apple. The only way to nonconform is to either not use a computer, or use third party software/browsers/etc. But that's another blog entry.) People buy iPods because that is what everyone from ages 10-50 has. No one buys a Zune. People buy Macs because they think Macs are the hip thing to do, even though most of the claims Apple makes about the security of Macs are largley untrue. This is the second reason people buy an iPhone: to be cool. To fit in.

The iPhone has basically cornered the market on smart phones. There are many other smart phones out there, but Apple does it better. Verizon, however, seeks to change all this.They have recently started marketing their "Droid." Their ad campaign focuses on what the iPhone doesn't do (it does have some faults - we just got picture messaging last month, though that was largely AT&T's fault) and it could use some improvement. Verizon's "Droid" (made by Motorola) promises the ability to have a physical keyboard (some think the iPhone's touch screen keyboard is too finicky; I personally love it) as well as the ability to run multiple apps. These are all valid points, that I'm sure Apple is working on addressing, but are they really important enough to make consumers drop Apple/iPhone, a well established brand and product, for something completely new and untested? Some also feel that this was a bad move on Verizon's part, severing any ties they hoped to have with Apple and ending any dreams of having a Verizon iPhone. People are defensive of Apple; launching a direct assault on the "underdog" may not prove to be a smooth marketing move.

The Verizon "Droid", image courtesy of slashgear.com

I read an article in Time a few months ago about the market for a smartphone. This article mentions how, instead of giving Apple direct competition, some phone manufacturers should focus on a less "smart" smartphone. Basically, there should be a stepping stone for those who may not be the most technologically advanced between a normal phone, such as the Razor or Envy, and smart phones. There is not a smart phone like this on the market now, and it might prove to be a lucrative area. This may be a chance for another company to make worthwhile amounts of money on a smart phone. Companies must adapt instead of trying to copy. Apple is currently the Leviathan of the smart phone market, and nothing is going to change that for a very long time.